Las Vegas

In their official documentation on the McCullough Peaks roundup over the winter of 2023-24, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) stated they would focus on removing horses 5 years old and younger. Nineteen of the 40 horses permanently removed from the range, however, were ages 6-15. Las Vegas was 15 when they trapped him and not a good candidate for adoption, which placed him in danger of being sold as a “Sale Authority” horse. If not rescued, he would easily have ended up in the slaughter pipeline.

There was so much noise around this roundup and auction, it was hard to hear. We knew if we were going to help, it would be to assist the older, bonded, or special needs mustangs. So many people were desperately concerned for Las Vegas. There were reports he was aggressive in the trap. It was widely believed that he was a horse who needed sanctuary and we trust the people who knew him well in the wild.  For the Love of Aria Mustang Sanctuary raised funds to help sanctuaries and private owners win the bids on the captured McCullough Peaks horses in the BLM’s online auction. Skydog did not accept any of this money when we took Las Vegas so that there would be more to help other good adopters.

Tony Douzenis (@t.d.307_photography), who documented Las Vegas on the range for years, said one of the things he loved about him was “he never backs down”. We saw this when we introduced him to two of the wildest former stallions at Skydog, Spartacus and Gatsby. Calm, confident, and steady, Las Vegas walked right to them and held his own as Spartacus literally jumped for joy at his arrival. The three really liked each other and bonded very quickly. No doubt the wildest of the wild speak the same language.

In describing the roundup aftermath for the horses remaining on the range, another authoritative McCullough Peaks photographer, Sandy Sisti (@sandysisti), wrote: “Las Vegas’ long time mares, Oakley, Cactus Cate, Sonoma and Sonoma and Las Vegas’ 2-year-old filly, Sable, have been quite agitated and don’t appear to be adjusting well to the absence of their band stallion and lead mare, Smoke.”

Las Vegas and Smoke had been together ten years in the wild. They are a foundation family of McCullough Peaks, who raised some incredible offspring.  They were rounded up at the same time in March 2024 and separated in the trap. We adopted the two of them and brought them to Skydog. After giving them some time to settle in and rest, we brought them back together. Las Vegas stopped in his tracks when he heard her nicker. Smoke ran down the aisle with both calling to each other, clearly recognizing one another before their eyes locked. Smoke worked her way toward the open gate. They ran to each other and immediately fell into the dance we have observed at other wild horse family reunions. They run and circle, stopping to take in each other’s scent. Head to head, nose to nose, they realize it’s really who they think it is.  It’s always a beautiful moment when two horses with such a long history reunite.

Before we separated Las Vegas from his friends in the boy band, we added Dundee and Oliver to it. They were not at all stressed about going their separate ways as they dreams that were about to come true. They boys were turned out to join Apollo’s herd. Las Vegas has an arthritic knee that made it hard for him to gallop on hilly, rugged terrain. A quieter life on easy ground sharing breath and memories with his beloved mare is the ideal situation for Las Vegas.

The round up that targeted Las Vegas’ herd at McCullough Peaks clearly demonstrated the complete absence of any justification for wild horse removals. This herd is famous. People travel from abroad to see them, attracting tourists to Wyoming. They are photographed extensively and have huge followings on social media, where photographers offer almost daily updates on their lives. We know their families, backgrounds, victories and setbacks. We’ve celebrated the birth of foals and watched them grow to adulthood, mourned the passing of elders, whom we’ve followed for decades. To the public, they are dearly loved horses and a national treasure.

The BLM touted this herd as a success of PZP darting for population control. Volunteers not only helped the BLM identify and dart the horses, they paid for and supplied the vaccines (regardless of the $11 million in the BLM’s budget for PZP programs). The foaling rate was brought down to 2%, which would have made the bureau proud if population control was really the objective. It isn’t. Even though the law states that wild horse herd management areas (HMA) are to be managed primarily for the use of wild horses, the BLM manages McCullough Peaks primarily for the use of the Rocksprings Grazing Association’s commercial cattle and sheep.

There were egregious violations of the BLM’s own Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program (CAWP) Guidelines. They separated nursing foals from their mothers. Another motivation for this bait-and-trap roundup was the money the BLM stood to make off famous horses, like Thora. This nursing foal, the spitting image of her world-renowned father, the stallion Thor, sold for $60,000. Rather than prioritize placing these horses in excellent homes, the BLM only cared about profit. In doing so, they drained funds from good homes and sanctuaries for the life-long care they want to provide for these federally-protected animals.

#skydoglasvegas

Mustangs and burros need your help 

In addition to supporting our work by donating, becoming a patron on Patreon or sponsoring a Skydog, there are several important pieces of legislation to protect American equines currently moving through Congress. It only takes a few minutes to contact your Rep and Senators and urge them to support these bills:

Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act of 2023 (H.R. 3475 in the House / S.2307 in the Senate). This bill will shut down the slaughter pipeline that sends some 20,000 American horses and donkeys to savagely monstrous deaths in foreign slaughterhouses every year.

The Wild Horse & Burro Protection Act of 2023 (H. R. 3656) This bill will prohibit the use of helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft in the management of wild mustangs and burros on public lands, and require a report on humane alternatives to current management practices.

Ejiao Act of 2023 (H.R. 6021). To ​​ban the sale or transportation of ejiao, a gelatin made from boiling donkey skins, or products containing ejiao in interstate or foreign commerce, which brutally kills millions of donkeys primarily for beauty products and Chinese medicine.

You can Contact Members of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard (202) 224-3121‬, submitting contact forms on their individual websites, or sending one email to all three simultaneously at www.democracy.io

See our How to Help menu for other actions to ban zebra hunting at US canned hunt ranches, stop production of Premarin & other PMU drugs, and defund the Adoption Incentive Program.